2010 Lucien Le Moine - Meursault Charmes 1er Cru

Less minerally and more fruity than the Chassagne samples that preceded it, showing charming aromas of peach, fresh apricot, white flowers and vanilla. Sweet, fresh, well-delineated flavors of stone fruits, smoke, salted butter and white chocolate lead to a classically dry, spicy, firm-edged finish. Very nicely balanced Meursault.

The 2010 Meursault Charmes is bold, direct and voluptuous. Nectarines, honey, flowers and spices all wrap around the palate in this big generous Charmes. A vein of minerality runs through the fruit, giving the wine its sense of energy and proportion. In 2010, the Charmes is especially rich, layered and unctuous.

The 2010 Meursault Charmes is bold, direct and voluptuous. Nectarines, honey, flowers and spices all wrap around the palate in this big generous Charmes. A vein of minerality runs through the fruit, giving the wine its sense of energy and proportion. In 2010, the Charmes is especially rich, layered and unctuous. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Proprietor Mounir Saouma thinks 2010 is a great vintage and therefore he wanted to push the boundaries as far as possible by slowing down the maturation of the wines. He kept temperatures very low in the cellar to encourage slow, long malolactic fermentations and long elevage in barrel. Among the unusual practices Saouma adopted with the 2010s is stirring the lees a full year after the harvest. At the time of my visit, in July 2012, none of the 2010 whites had been bottled, the only estate in Burgundy I know of that had still not bottled their 2010s. The wines Le Moine 2010s are big, rich and powerful. In many cases, the 2010s appear to have structures that are in the realm of reds. A number of the wines also show slight elements of botrytis that will become more pronounced over time. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot, which was too closed to properly evaluate. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000